The last book in the Diaries of the Family Dracul series ended up blending with the actual occurrences in the novel it's based from, Dracula. Where they mixed, I didn't mind, but it didn't focus on the novel events as much as her additions and where Kalogridis fit them in.

I can't say I liked it as much as the last. I was okay with her use of Van Helsing, and could even see his past being as it was. John Seward's heritage I was iffy about, and thought it almost unnecessary except to give him the power he needed. She could have gone further with what she had there, but it seemed almost glossed over.

I did not like what she did to Jonathan Harker and Quincey Morris (if you read it, you'll see near the end). I felt bad for Zsuzanna the whole time because it's not until the very end that she finally makes a good decision! Not only does she suffer at the hands of her own family, but then at Elisabeth Bathory's hands, and not in the way just that statement would have you expect.

And I have just one question: What happened to Gerda? We see her in the beginning of the book, and then she is just no more. Maybe I missed it during reading, but I did not see anything relating to what happened. Not that she was a major character anyway, but that string made me wonder what happened.

The twist was a good one, though, in my opinion. It had me go "Ahah, wow!" for a moment. And all in all, it was an enjoyable read, so I give it 3.5/5 stars. ( )

This final volume in the trilogy of "The Diaries of the Family Dracul" merges the histories of Vlad the Impaler and Count Dracula in a prequel to, and retelling of, the Stoker classic, seeking to fill some of the gaps left by the original.

This is the most seductive novel of the series, mainly because of the retelling not only the familiar Bram Stoker original "Dracula" but also augments the story by introducing the legend of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who lived some 150 years after Vlad Tepesh (Stoker's vampire model). Elizabeth is accused of living a life of debauchery and patronage of occult arts as well as the murder of some 650 virgins in order to bathe in their blood. Imprisoned by clerical authorities for 5 years of interrogation on the eve of the horrific Thirty Years War of religious doctrines, she was never convicted. The Bathory family included Duke Stepan of Transylvania who ascended the throne of Poland and Lithuania by marrying the daughter of the last Jagellonian king and then proceeded to roll back the conquests of Ivan the Terrible. The real facts of this time are more interesting than the vampiric literary inventions.

This novel begins with Vlad's journal entries about wartorn Bucharest in 1476, but it swiftly moves to the more familiar territory of Transylvania and London in 1893. There, it follows the starving Count, his vampiric niece, Zsuzsanna, her servant, Dunya, and their undead cousin, Countess Elizabeth Bathory, as they lure mortals, such as Jonathan Harker, into the castle to feed on them.

Meanwhile, the noted vampire slayer Abraham Van Helsing awaits Dracula's arrival in London. Using powerful paraphernalia he attempts to foil the family curse and decipher the angelic Arminius's motives. Other characters, such as Mina and Jonathan Harker, Dr. Seward, and Lucy Westenra, also make appearances but not necessarily in the same way as in Stoker's classic.

With its descriptions of iron maidens and flaming pokers it would be hard to call this a kinder, gentler, vampire novel, but Kalogridis reconciles the forces of light and darkness in a manner likely to please fans of justice and the genre. Kalogridis really knows how to use history and the myths of vampires to her advantage and weave them into a tale that anyone interested in this type of genre would want to read. If you're a vampire fan like I am, better hunt down these books (yes, pun intended).

Book Details:

Title Lord of the Vampires (Diaries of the Family Dracul)
Author Jeanne Kalogridis
Reviewed By Purplycookie ( )